When it rains
by TerzisofTroy
Summary: Adelle lost her memory at the age of seven. Anything before that, she has no memory of. Now she's growing up in London, all on her own. Brave as she is, can she get by?
1. Runins at the Diner

From the vantage point of a bystander, you wouldn't notice the petite, auburn-haired girl rushing through the streets, just like she wanted. Silence is golden. She had learned that much growing up here, in the east side of London. I half ran, half walked through the back alleyway that leads to Ronny's diner, where I worked. I didn't know what the time was exactly, but I knew that I was close to being late.

As I pushed open the door and made my way to the counter, I tried to avoid the gaze of a very agitated Ronny. "You're cutting it close again, Adelle. That's the third time this week," she barked.

"Yes, I'm so sorry, Ronny. It won't happen again," I promised. Even though I had left my tiny apartment thirty minutes early today, I still hadn't gotten here in time. I guess that just means I'll have to leave even earlier next time. I had no choice. I couldn't afford to lose this job. Not very many people would offer work to a poor, uneducated 17year-old like myself. It was uncommonly lucky that Ronny was desperately in need of a waitress, seeing as her main one had abruptly left town.

I pushed through the swinging door at the counter, and scanned the shelves for my nametag. I finally found it next to the cook, Joe's. I swiftly pinned it to my shirt, grabbed my notepad, and shuffled over to a little old man in the booth by the window, currently stuffing his nose in the paper. When he didn't put it down, I tried for his attention. "Erhmm," I murmured. He slowly gazed up from his paper. As he registered me through his bifocals, he finally seemed to understand why I was there.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry my dear. It's so easy to get caught up in the rubbish these papers print out now-a-days."

"It's quite alright, Sir. May I ask what you would like to order today?" I liked starting my shift off with these old chaps. They seemed to have a way with making every situation seem funnier. They were also the few men who took to being kind to us waitresses.

"Ah, yes, let's see here. I think for today I shall just have my usual burger and chips," he gladly stated. I wondered if he was a regular. It seemed so, but because I had only started working here a week prior, I didn't know for sure.

"And to drink, um…" I stuttered. "Rupert, call me Rupert," he interrupted.

"Alright, what to drink then, Rupert?"

"Oh, today I think I'll go with a nice cup of tea," he smiled. "It'll be right out, Sir… I mean uhm… Rupert. Sir Rupert." I rolled my eyes at myself while I ungracefully curtsied and left his presence. I walked over and clipped the order to the hanging line that went to Joe.

I heard the bell over the door ring, alerting anyone who cared to notice that someone had arrived. I turned to see the person take their seat at one of the tables near the front. He seemed to be a boy of about my age with a tall stature and broad shoulders. He was wearing a black t-shirt paired with a black leather jacket and black faded jeans. _Hmm, black converse. How surprising. _At this point he turned to face me. I felt my heart stop as I stared into his eyes. They were a breathtaking blend of pearly grey and crystal blue that glistened like the moon reflecting off the surface of the ocean. I knew that I was staring, but I couldn't make myself look away. After what seemed like hours, he tore his gaze from mine and turned back to the menu.  
Still, I stood there, frozen in thought. Contemplating how eyes could be that fascinating. Coming from me, with eyes that start off blue at the pupil and gradually fade into a vibrant green near the end of the iris, I found this quite odd. I stood there, pondering, for another moment when I heard Joe from behind me. "Psst. Get moving, Adelle. Ronny's already in a bad mood, I wouldn't test her if I were you." He hissed as he turned back to the grill and I picked up my notepad again.

I sauntered over to his table when he put his menu down. Now that I had gotten over the initial shock of his eyes, I took in the rest of his features. He had strikingly angular cheekbones with a complexion so pale; it hardly looked like he was human. His medium length, blue-black hair was tussled and strands were hanging down in front of his eyes. I resisted the urge to push them aside and instead asked for his order. "What can I get you to-" "I don't want any food," he interrupted and snarled, "Just get me a glass of water." He glanced at me with provocative eyes. I mentally hid the annoyance in my voice. "Right away, Sir." I replied curtly, and stalked off.

Once I was sure I was out of earshot, I muttered to myself, "Git." I walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on, letting the water stream into the cup. When it was nearly full, I turned the water off, grabbed a handful of ice, and dropped it in. I walked back to his table and placed the drink beside his napkin. He picked up the drink the moment I set it down and turned it around in his hands, observing it. "Is there something wrong, Sir?" I dreadingly asked. _Not good. What if this man comments to Ronny how horrible I am and gets me fired._ "I can get you another, Sir, if this one's not to your liking," I hopelessly added. He scrunched his face up in distaste, but finally put the glass up to his lips, and took a sip. I noticed that his eyes had momentarily flashed black. "You may go now," he spat. For the second time today, I stalked off from his table. _What is his problem? What could I possibly have done to offend him that much?_

After a long, drawn-out argument with myself, I finally came to the conclusion that it was his problem and had nothing to do with me. _He's probably just had a troublesome day and was blowing off steam. Yes, that's it. Not something I did. _But as I looked over to his table, I saw that he had gone and the door swung back and forth on its hinges. There were coins left on the table next to the check, and his half-empty drink. I didn't have time to consider why he had left so briskly, because by then a rambunctious group of college students had sauntered their way into an already crowded booth. "Hmph," I sighed. This was going to be another long night.

Compared to mister onyx-haired stranger, the rest of the night was utterly uneventful. Finally, at around three a.m. Ronny announced that she was closing up shop, and we were free to go. I put away the broom that I had been using to sweep up the mess an office party had made, and placed my nametag on the shelf. "Night Joe. Night Ronny," I quickly muttered on my way out the door. _Finally, freedom. _It was better now that I could see the night sky gallantly floating miles above my head. I drew in a breath of the frigid night air, and began my hour-long walk home.

I meandered the rest of the way home letting my feet lead me blindly through the dark. My eyes scanned the stars. No matter how long I stared, they never failed to mesmerize me. I started as a mangy orange and white tabby darted out of any alley to my left, not hesitating to voice its annoyance. It was when the tom had stalked off into the shadows and out of sight, that I noticed a silhouetted figure, perched on a display windowsill of Barney's Bakery.

I watched the figure apprehensively, keeping an eye on his every movement. I took a step backwards, and a melodic voice carried over to me, "Don't run," it said casually. At this point, the figure, I'm assuming it was male, reached into the pocket of his leather jacket. It wasn't until the scenery around me blurred that I realized I was fleeting down the cobblestone roadway.


	2. Tag around London

In less than an instant, she was gone. Jayden blinked in silent surprise as he pulled out a box of fags. He lit one and took a long drag before tossing it to the ground and beginning after her.

For a moment, it seemed as though he's lost her, but her scent had such a unique odor, that would have been impossible. Still, after a few agitating moments of silence, her trail grew faint. Gradually he was forced to increase his speed. It confounded him how an average human could move so swiftly. As his speed picked up to a trot, he finally caught a glimpse of auburn hair as she rounded the corner. He was nearly running to keep pace with her as they wound through the maze of London streets.

He took an indirect route, trying to cut her off at the London Bridge. He had been paying such close attention to the entrance of the bridge, that he almost didn't notice her creeping to the Channel's shoreline. At a speed too fast to be seen by human eyes, he jumped of the bridge's gate, and landed silently about ten feet behind her. Even though he knew he'd been completely silent in his actions, he saw her shoulders tense as she sat by the water.

He halted for a moment, before continuing his silent approach. From this close of a distance, her scent, almost as strong as in the diner, willed him to break her neck and take her where she sat. Her head whipped around to face him as she stood gracefully. She had moved so fast, that he hadn't had time to disappear into the shadows. Now he stood facing a startled pair of brilliant blue eyes that slowly fade into a vibrant green.


	3. The night club

"You followed me," I stated nonchalantly. The boy merely watched me, making no move to speak. I smiled as he sized me up and down, not restraining in his boyish desires. By this point, I had figured out that this was the not-so-nice-yet-still-stunning guy from the diner. My patience was slowly retreating as he stared for yet another lustful minute. I was deciding on whether or not to make a run for it, when he spoke. "Hello" A faint smile danced on his lips. This managed to confuse me all the more, because from a person who had been following me the past hour or so, this was not the response I was expecting. "Hello," I breathed back. "Pardon, but was there something you wanted?"

"Nothing," he smiled a twisted smile and disappeared into the shadows. I assumed that he was trying to scare me, for what reason, I couldn't know. All I knew was that I wasn't scared, nor was I going to become scared. At that, I turned and walked off, heading in the direction of a club I knew stayed open this late. I could feel his stare lingering on me. I brushed it off, and began to run again. It was commonplace for lone girls of my age to be courted by men nightly, and this was no different. As I entered the club, Dagger, a long-time friend of mine, whistled me over to his side. "Hello love, rough night?" He smiled as he wiped the sweat off my brow. Since he found me in an alley, years ago, Dagger had forever been an older brother sort to me. He cared for me, like I had never been cared for before, yet he never came onto me. Oh, he was a good looking guy; we just never had that sexual tension. He had given me the apartment I was at, and always kept me out of trouble. "Something like that, but it's better now," I said as I smiled and hugged him in greeting.

"Thank God for that! Luckily, the night is still young, the bar is still open, and the music's still booming!" He laughed as he led me over to the bar. "What would you like, m'dear?" he asked. I impassively gazed at the menu, though I knew it by heart. "I'll have a Stella Artois," I said to both Dagger, and the bartender, Robin. "Indeed, that sounds wonderful! Make that two Stella Artoises!" he joined in. Robin handed us our drinks, as we made our way to an empty bar table. We hadn't sat down for more than a moment, when one of the regular girls stumbled over to our table. "Hey, Dagger, Baby" she attempted to say, mid-hiccup. She giggled as she sat down on his lap. "Ah, Morisse. Long time no see," Dagger remarked. She leaned over and whispered something I couldn't make out, in his ear. He smirked as he looked over at me, giving me a look I'd seen many times before. I agilely got up, and walked to the center of the tiny dance floor.

I don't know how long I danced, nor who my various partners were. I guessed the time was around 5am now, but I continued dancing. Dancing was something that made me feel at home. My body swayed with the music as the song droned on and on. Sometime during the song change, the lights dimmed and the strobe light made it so you could only see shadows of the people around you. I felt someone in front of me, and barely made out their asking for the next dance. I nodded and smiled, without missing a beat. He slowly wrapped is arms around my waste, as our bodies melted together into one. It felt as though something wonderful was radiating off of him and I edged closer, breathing in his wonderful yet slightly familiar scent. The songs gradually melted into one another, and I could feel my body getting weak, as sleep threatened to take over. Almost as if he'd heard that thought, he stopped dancing, and led me over to an empty bar seat. He sat down and laid me against his shoulder, wrapping his leather jacket around my frame. Hardly consious enough to object, I slowly drifted off too sleep, with a last look at those beautiful pearly grey-blue eyes.


	4. Unexpected

I woke up the next morning, alone, in Dagger's empty bar, a little confused. The last thing I remembered was being on the dance floor for hours. Then there was a man, the last one I danced with. Was it him who brought me to this bar seat? I couldn't remember anything about him, except for those eyes. Those piercing blue eyes. I had seen them somewhere else. They weren't easy to forget. It was at that point that I noticed the jacket still wrapped tightly around my shoulders. I lifted it up to get a good look at it. Black leather, it still smelt like him, whoever he was. I sat there for a few moments longer, trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes, when I heard voices coming from the kitchen. Why, you ask, was there a kitchen in Dagger's nightclub? Because, he lives in the connected suite upstairs. Dagger told me once how he inherited this building from parents when they passed, and decided to turn the bottom half into a nightclub. His parents were... good fortuned, I guess you'd say, and they left him quite a good sized place to go with their bank account.

I stood up, and walked over to the spiraling staircase that led upstairs, to Dagger's flat. As I neared the kitchen, the voices grew louder, and I heard laughter. I recognized Dagger's voice immediately; it was a voice I knew almost as well as my own, and then a second, vaguely familiar voice, that I couldn't quite place. I peaked through the crack in the doorway, and saw Dagger sitting on the counter, talking animatedly to a figure before him. The figure was faced towards Dagger, so I couldn't see his face, but I could see his shaggy black hair that hung in disarray around his head, and his plain maroon t-shirt that fit him so snuggly, the muscles on his back rippled when he moved. He had on regular black trousers with worn black converse on his feet. I didn't notice that I had leaned over to far, until I smacked my head into the door. "Shit!" I whispered, and looked up to see if they had heard the calamity. Dagger looked up briefly, glanced around the room, and then his gaze met mine at the door. His face lit up, as he smiled and welcomed me in. "Hey, sleepy head! Have a little too much fun last night?" He kicked off the counter and wrapped me in a lung-crushing bear hug. "Dagger. Breathing. Issue." I panted. He let go of me, and instead took my hand, dragging me over to the other figure I had seen from the doorway. "I want you to meet someone, Dell," he said. I now noticed that the figure had turned in our direction. I looked up into the strangers face, for he was a good deal taller than my 5'5 stature. I glanced over the beautifully chiseled features, and met his eyes. His pearly blue orbs stared back at me, and I realized where I'd seen him before. He had been the man at the diner, and the one who followed me. He smiled as he saw the recognition come over my face.

"Dell, meet Jayden. Jayden, meet Dell." Dagger pointed from me, to the man, and back. "Jayden had to practically carry you off the dance floor last night." I finally looked away from his intoxicating gaze, as I registered what Dagger had said. "Wait, what?" I questioned. "The dance floor," he repeated. "You were dancing with him when you started drifting off. He carried you to the empty bar seat you woke up in. That's also his jacket that you have." I looked down and realized that I still had the jacket on. Man, it smelt amazing. "Oh! I'm sorry." I took it off and handed it over to the man, Jayden, I guess it was. He smiled as he took it and said, "It's alright. I'd gladly give up my jacket to a lady in need. If you need it again, just ask." I smiled back. At this, he turned back to face Dagger, and sighed. "I'm afraid I must be going now. I'll see you around." He winked at me as he walked out the kitchen door, and down the spiral staircase. Dagger and I waited silently in the kitchen. Finally, we heard the front door to the nigh club creak to a shut, and Dagger turned me toward him. "So," he said knowingly. "What did this figure of the night do to get you so entranced? He smiled his crooked smile at me, and winked. I knew better than to lie to Dagger about my feelings, he knew them almost before I did. "I don't know. I've seen him around before. He's completely different than anyone I've ever met. I can't figure him out, Dag," I sighed exasperatedly. Dagger crinkled his brow. "I wondered. I saw you two on the dance floor. Your bodies fit together perfectly, like they knew each other well." I felt my face blush as he said this. I didn't exactly like to discuss my sex-life with my basically older brother. He, on the other hand, had no problem with it. "Dell, babe. You know I know how it works. I've certainly had my fill. I'm practically a professional." I kiddingly punched his arm. "You're a bit too cocky for your own good, Dag," I laughed. "Too cocky? No such thing." He added, and we both burst into a fit of laughter.

Later that day, I found myself working my shift at Ronny's dinner. As the clock signaled 11:00pm, a trio of drunk, middle-aged men slumped into booth number five. I defeatedly sighed, as booth five happened to be in my section. I glanced over at Ronny, and she met my gaze with an expecting look. I took a breath and plastered a fake smile to my face, as I headed to their table. The men ordered and made some impolite comments, while passing a few glances off to places unwelcome to their eyes. I was used to it, so I went on with my job like normal. As they were finishing up their meal, the one in the middle, who I believed was the most-intoxicated, called me over. "Here you go sugar," he said as he placed halfpence into my hand. "Sir, we don't accept tips here," I replied. "I know," he laughed. "Well, then what is this for, sir?" I countered. "So you can phone your mum and tell her you're not coming home tonight!" The trio burst into a fit of wheezy, drunkard laughter. I bit my tongue, and told myself not to do anything. I knew that one upset customer, and I was out of here. Instead, I dropped the money back on the table and smiled. "I'm sorry to disappoint sir, but my mother's dead." The laughter stopped as I swiveled around on my feet and headed back to the counter. I heard the men pull themselves out of their seats, and exit the dinner, as Ronny looked up at me accusingly as I passed. She put a hand out to stop me and blustered," What was that about?!" I gave her my worn fake smile, and spoke calmly. "Nothing to worry about, Ronny. The men were just finished with their meals, and decided to head out." She glared at me with her beady little eyes, and gave me the look of I-know-that-isn't-what-really-happened-but-there's-no-way-for-me-to-proove-it-look, and stalked off. I leaned on the counter and took a breath of relief, before I heard her screech from the back, "And get back to work!" I jumped, and quickly walked back out onto the dinner floor.

* * *

Jayden laughed as he saw the girl from the night before fluster the men in the booth to silence, without ever insulting them. He had watched her walk from Dagger's nightclub to the dinner that she worked at, and proceeded to watch her through the dinner's window as she worked. He knew he was bordering on stalker-territory, but he needed to find out why she was different. He had watched with hope of anything that would help his investigation, but aside from a slightly-too-fast way of moving and a fire of passion that shown in her eyes when she felt some emotion, he hadn't noticed anything that gave away what she was. He watched as she moved from customer to customer, politely greeting each one and every now and then glancing back nervously at whom he guessed was the boss. _She's a pretty little thing_ he thought, as he watched her tuck a lock of her beautiful auburn hair behind her ear. He smiled as he saw that she crinkled her brow when she wrote down a table's orders. He memorized little quirks she did at certain moments, and other little things about her.

At around three o'clock in the morning, she took her apron off to reveal a tight-fitting white shirt and low, hip-hugging jeans, and put on her jacket as she walked out the door. Although he took pride in his gentlmenship, he was still a man, and he noticed that she was quite well-endowed, for such a skinny little one. He picked himself off the trashcan he had been sitting on, and followed her silently as she wove her way through the streets of London. He recognized the alley way that she had passed through when he had first chased her through the streets, but tensed as he heard a scream echo around the walls. He attuned his vampiric hearing, and found out that the scream had come from a young girl (he guessed was about ten or eleven years of age) while she was being grabbed by two drunken men. He heard a third man chime in comments from the corner he was slouched up against. He saw a mirror of tension in her, as she had heard it too. He silently begged her to keep walking, though from what he had learned of her character in the dinner, he knew that she would not. As he had guessed, she turned and began walking in the direction the scream had issued from. He quickened pace behind her, as the men finally noticed her arrival. One glance at the men's faces, and he realized that they were the same drunkards she had waitressed for earlier that evening. Seeing how drunk they were, he figured that they wouldn't notice. "Woooo-wee!" one exclaimed, as the others whistled their approval of the new arrival. "Look at the tight-arse on this little lady!" The men sized her up hungrily, as their attention on the young girl that had previously been messing with faltered. Adelle smiled at them, and still facing the men, she looked over at the young girl and mouthed "run." With no hesitation, the girl stood up and started walking away, as Adelle walked towards the men. Not good.

* * *

I continued to smile at the men, whom I recognized from the dinner, and looked at the girl's slowly retreating form. I finally had the chance to look at her fully, and realized why she was retreating so slowly. She had one bare foot covered in dirt, and where the other foot should have been, there was a stump. _Damn it!_ I thought. _If I leave now she's not going to get far enough away that they won't find her again._ I considered what to do and finally made up my mind. I had to keep them busy long enough for her to get away. I walked forward, so that I was standing right in front of the man closest to me. I looked at the three of them, and smiled my most-seductive smile. Apparently it worked, because their eyes sparkled with the idea.

* * *

Jayden watched apprehensively as she approached the men and straightened up as he realized what her seductive posture and look were for. Although the voice in the back of his mind was telling him to get his ass in gear and go save her, his more powerful side told him to wait and see what she did. He cursed the more powerful side, but eventually gave in and watched. She smiled and giggled for them as they kept inching forward. She reached down to pick up a piece of paper, and the man in front snapped. He ran forward and pushed her up against the wall, panting all the while. Jayden saw her face change from one of fake-pleasure, to that of a person whose plan had gone a bit off course. The other two descended on her, one holding her arms over her head, the other starting to unbutton her pants. The man in front grinned while he started unbuttoning his own pants. Jayden figured that she had gone long enough on her own, and he jumped up and began walking toward her. Never taking his eyes off her face, he neared the end of the shadows. He cataloged into his mind that even when her plans had turned, he never saw an ounce of fear on her face. At that moment, he saw a trance of concentration come over her face. Looking up, he saw dark clouds in the sky, forming right over where they stood. The three men took a moment away from their advances, as they glanced up at the now cloud-filled sky. I watched as the three men then looked back at Adelle. She looked up at them, and Jayden saw the unmistakable fire in her clouded eyes. She slowly lifted her hands into the air, as a wave of power cascaded off of her, knocking the men down. They looked around, dazed, and then at each other. Finally, they began to stand up. Jayden could see that the look of lust that had been smeared on their faces had now turned to confusion and anger at being knocked down and refused by this girl. He assumed that their drunken state had made it unclear to them that the force that had knocked them down had actually come from her. They all stopped in their tracks as they faced her again. Jayden watched, just as transfixed. They all saw her closed eyes slowly open and her gaze land on the man in front. In the next instant, her body tremored and she screamed. Lighting flashed all around them, as another wave of power escaped from her. Jayden saw the first man fall lifelessly to the floor, followed closely by the two others. His attention snapped back to Adelle, and he saw her arms fall as her body collapsed. He was by her side within the moment and he knelt down beside her. She lay, as beautiful and still as a stone angel, but she was still breathing. He knew she wasn't safe in the street, so he gently picked her up bridal style and began running back to his home.


End file.
